By some estimates, as many as half a million Americans traveled abroad last year for procedures ranging from orthopedic surgery to dental care. The trend is growing in a weakened economy as more people lose their jobs and the health insurance that goes along with them.
The motivation: Savings of 50 to 80 percent on procedures performed in hospitals that meet strict international standards for patient care. Often, the doctors performing the surgeries have been trained at top hospitals in the United Sates. Their services often are augmented with round-the-clock, one-on-one nursing care.
Fueling the Trend
Medical tourism is not a one-way street. State-of-the-art hospitals in India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Costa Rica, South Africa and Eastern Europe are aggressively courting these foreign patients.What many of them have in common is accreditation by the Joint Commission International, an affiliation that provides patients with assurance that their care will meet internationally recognized standards.
On the other end, dozens of so-called "medical tourism" travel agencies have sprung up to help match patients with hospitals and doctors and facilitate travel arrangements. Some of them, such as Chicago-based Med Retreat, have helped thousands of patients each year find the right medical fit for their needs.
Is Medical Tourism Right for You?
Not everyone is a good candidate for overseas medical care. Josef Woodman, author of "Patients Beyond Borders: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Tourism," cautions that there's more than just finances to consider before heading to a foreign country for surgery you couldn't afford back home. His checklist includes these areas of concern.
- Are you healthy enough to travel? Long flights and delays can tax the strength of even the healthiest traveler, and most hospitals serving medical tourists are half a world away.
- Can you stand up to culture shock? Novice travelers should think twice about how they are likely to respond to instant immersion in another culture, even if they are likely to be picked up in a private car and pampered throughout their treatment.
- Are the financial savings worth it? Woodman cites the $6,000 rule: If your U.S. specialist quotes a price of $6,000 or more for the treatment you need, chances are that an accredited foreign hospital can offer the same procedure for less, including the costs of transportation and lodging.
- Are you capable of the required homework? Finding the right doctor, making complex travel arrangements and arranging for after-care back home is a daunting proposition. Medical travel agencies can help, but it’s up to patients to do much of the legwork.
In short, while medical tourism isn't for everyone, the financial savings can make the effort worthwhile for those whose medical and psychological profile meets the right criteria. Look at it this way: According to statistics compiled by Woodman, a cardiac bypass that would cost $130,000 in the United States can be done for $10,000 in a top Indian hospital, while a hysterectomy that would run $20,000 in Los Angeles can be performed for around $6,000 in Singapore. The numbers alone make medical tourism worth investigating.
Janet Fullwood - Janet Fullwood didn't see the ocean until she was 10 or a mountain until she was 15, except in the pages of National Geographic. But she ...
